Max Kalish Art

American, Lithuanian, 1891-1945

Born in Poland March 1, 1891, figurative sculptor Max Kalish came to the United States in 1894, his family settling in Ohio. A talented youth, Kalish enrolled at the Cleveland Institute of Art as a fifteen-year-old, receiving a first-place award for modeling the figure during studies with Herman Matzen. Kalish went to New York City following graduation, studying with Isidore Konti and Herbert Adams for the next two years. In 1912, Kalish studied with Paul Bartlett at the Academie Colarossi in Paris, France. In 1913, he continued his studies with Jean Antoine Injalbert at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. The financial support of his brother, family and friends had enabled Kalish to travel to Europe. But the money ran out and, though Kalish exhibited two portrait busts in the 1913 Paris Salon, he was forced to return to America, where he worked on the Column of Progress for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, in San Francisco, California, with his former teacher, Isidore Konti. Back in Cleveland, he worked on portrait commissions of two United States Senators and the Mayor. In the Army by 1916, Kalish sculpted a series of bronze, one-third-life-size figures of solders. In 1920, he was back in Paris, where he would begin a life-long practice of spending half the year. In 1921, he sculpted his first laborer, “The Stoker”, a genre for which he would be best known, using as a model, a Cleveland blast furnace worker. In Paris in 1922, the sculptures of laborers by Belgian artist Constantine Meunier (1831-1905) cemented Kalish’s desire to sculpt workers. Kalish won first prize for four sculptures three laborers — in 1925 at the Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen exhibition, one of which a marble nude torso was acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art. This prize and purchase accelerated Kalish’s career. In 1928, he received a commission from the City of Cleveland for a twelve-foot-high bronze sculpture of Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address. It stands today in front of the west entrance of the Board of Education on East 6th Street. Living and working in New York City in 1932, he was elected an Associate of the National Academy of Design in 1933. He later became a member of the National Sculpture Society. At the outset of World War II, Kalish was commissioned by the Museum of American History to sculpt forty-eight bronze figures — one-third-life-size — of those involved in the war effort, including President Roosevelt, his cabinet and other important people. He lived to see the work completed, though afflicted by cancer from which he died on March 18, 1945 in New York City. The sculpture of Max Kalish was included in the 1997 exhibition in Berkeley, California, “When Artists Became Workers: The People’s Art Movement of the ’30s and ’40s”, at the Judah L. Magnes Museum.

Max KalishBarge Toiler -Mid 20th Century Modern WPA Labor Plaster Depression-Era Sculpture, 1930s

$22,500

Barge Toiler -Mid 20th Century Modern WPA Labor Plaster Depression-Era Sculpture

By Max Kalish

Located in New York, NY

"Barge Toiler" by Max Kalish is a Mid 20th Century modern Depression-Era sculpture from his Labor series. The WPA era work is made of plaster. Max Kalish (1891 – 1945) Barge Toiler 12 x 8”x 4 inches Patinated plaster Signed and monogramed BIO Born in Poland March 1, 1891, figurative sculptor Max Kalish came to the United States in 1894, his family settling in Ohio. A talented youth, Kalish enrolled at the Cleveland Institute of Art as a fifteen-year-old, receiving a first-place award for modeling the figure during studies with Herman Matzen. Kalish went to New York City following graduation, studying with Isidore Konti and Herbert Adams...

Category

1930s American Modern Max Kalish Art

Materials

Plaster

Max Kalish"Road Builder" 20th Century Modern WPA Labor Bronze WPA Depression-Era Sculpture, 1923

$36,000

"Road Builder" 20th Century Modern WPA Labor Bronze WPA Depression-Era Sculpture

By Max Kalish

Located in New York, NY

Max Kalish The Road Builder inscribed M. KALISH 23, with Meroni-Radice foundry mark, on top of base bronze with dark brown patina, on an ebonized rectangular plinth Height: 13 1/8 in. not including base Provenance: Spanierman Gallery, New York BIO Max Kalish (1891 – 1945) Born in Poland March 1, 1891, figurative sculptor Max Kalish came to the United States in 1894, his family settling in Ohio. A talented youth, Kalish enrolled at the Cleveland Institute of Art as a fifteen-year-old, receiving a first-place award for modeling the figure during studies with Herman Matzen. Kalish went to New York City following graduation, studying with Isidore Konti and Herbert Adams...

Category

1920s American Realist Max Kalish Art

Materials

Bronze

Max KalishHarmony, 20th century bronze & green marble base, nude man and woman with lyre, c. 1930

$8,360Sale Price|20% Off

Harmony, 20th century bronze & green marble base, nude man and woman with lyre

By Max Kalish

Located in Beachwood, OH

Max Kalish (American, 1891-1945) Harmony, c. 1930 Bronze with green marble base Incised signature on right upper side of base 14 x 9 x 5 inches, excluding base 17 x 10 x 8 inches, including base Born in Poland March 1, 1891, figurative sculptor Max Kalish came to the United States in 1894, his family settling in Ohio. A talented youth, Kalish enrolled at the Cleveland Institute of Art as a fifteen-year-old, receiving a first-place award for modeling the figure during studies with Herman Matzen. Kalish went to New York City following graduation, studying with Isidore Konti...

Category

1930s American Modern Max Kalish Art

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Max KalishLocomotive Engineer, Early 20th Century Bronze Laborer, Cleveland School, 1926

$40,500

Locomotive Engineer, Early 20th Century Bronze Laborer, Cleveland School

By Max Kalish

Located in Beachwood, OH

Max Kalish (American, 1891-1945) Locomotive Engineer, 1926 Bronze Signed and dated on base, foundry mark: Meroni Radice Cire Perdue Paris 15.5 x 6 x 5 inches Born in Poland March 1, 1891, figurative sculptor Max Kalish came to the United States in 1894, his family settling in Ohio. A talented youth, Kalish enrolled at the Cleveland Institute of Art as a fifteen-year-old, receiving a first-place award for modeling the figure during studies with Herman Matzen. Kalish went to New York City following graduation, studying with Isidore Konti and Herbert Adams...

Category

1920s Max Kalish Art

Materials

Bronze

Max KalishNude Walking, Early 20th Century Bronze Sculpture, Cleveland School Artist, 1930

$8,125

Nude Walking, Early 20th Century Bronze Sculpture, Cleveland School Artist

By Max Kalish

Located in Beachwood, OH

Max Kalish (American, 1891-1945) Nude Walking, 1930 Bronze Signed and dated on base 17 x 9 x 4 inches Born in Poland March 1, 1891, figurative sculptor Max Kalish came to the United States in 1894, his family settling in Ohio. A talented youth, Kalish enrolled at the Cleveland Institute of Art as a fifteen-year-old, receiving a first-place award for modeling the figure during studies with Herman Matzen. Kalish went to New York City following graduation, studying with Isidore Konti and Herbert Adams...

Category

1930s American Modern Max Kalish Art

Materials

Bronze

Max KalishPair of Miner Bookends, 1921-1925

$9,500

Pair of Miner Bookends

By Max Kalish

Located in New York, NY

Max Kalish was an important and highly collected American sculptor desired for his depictions of the working man. Here we see a miner taking a break. Kalish was adept at conveying ...

Category

1920s Academic Max Kalish Art

Materials

Bronze

Eutrope BouretBronze sculpture of Mercury by Bouret, France, Napoleon III, 1880

Sold|~~$2,246~~

H 23.63 in W 13 in D 9.85 in

Bronze sculpture of Mercury by Bouret, France, Napoleon III

By Eutrope Bouret

Located in Valladolid, ES

An extraordinary and large patinated bronze sculpture representing the Roman god Mercury, seated on a rocky base. The work is by the French sculptor Eutrope Bouret (1833-1906), reno...

Category

1880s Academic Max Kalish Art

Materials

Bronze

Wim van der KantGallulus Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Green Patina Marble Stone, 2007

$10,041

H 16.54 in W 7.88 in

Gallulus Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Green Patina Marble Stone

By Wim van der Kant

Located in Utrecht, NL

Gallulus Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Green Patina Marble Stone Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his busy profess...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Max Kalish Art

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Wim van der KantBufo Contemporary Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Marble Stone Male Figure, 2002

$11,157

H 12.21 in W 7.88 in

Bufo Contemporary Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Marble Stone Male Figure

By Wim van der Kant

Located in Utrecht, NL

Bufo Contemporary Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Marble Stone Male Figure Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his busy profession as a teacher at a high school, he intensively practises his profession as a sculptor. Only when his work would measure up to his own standards, he decided to present it to the rest of the world. In 1995, he exhibited for the first time with Morren Galleries. Van der Kant desires to sculpt young people who still stand uninhibited and curiously in life. The reason he chooses to sculpt boys is, because he is one himself, this way the subject is closer to him. The anatomy of his figures testify of perfectionism. Van der Kant's subjects show similarities with the sculptures from the Greek and Roman antiquity...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Max Kalish Art

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Michael Patterson"Female", 2013

$3,200

H 20 in W 13.5 in D 9 in

"Female"

By Michael Patterson

Located in Southampton, NY

Wonderful original granite sculpture by well known contemporary artist Michael Patterson. This work of the female form was completed in 2013. The sculpture is attached to a white m...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Max Kalish Art

Materials

Stone

Malvina Hoffman1961 Coty Award Plaque Kenneth Hairdresser Jacqueline Onassis Bronze Fashion, 1961

$8,500

H 21 in W 13 in

1961 Coty Award Plaque Kenneth Hairdresser Jacqueline Onassis Bronze Fashion

Located in New York, NY

1961 Coty Award Plaque Kenneth Hairdresser Jacqueline Onassis Bronze Fashion Bronze on wood. The wood plaque measures 12 3/4" by 20 3/4 inches. The bronze plaque itself is 13 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches and the the bronze inscription, which reads "COTY, American Fashion Critics Special Award 1961 to KENNETH of LILY DACHE...

Category

1960s American Modern Max Kalish Art

Materials

Bronze

Jean-Léon GérômeJean-Léon Gérôme La Danseuse au Cerceau - Gilt Bronze Statue of a Hoop Dancer, 19th Century

$5,500

H 9 in W 3.5 in D 5 in

Jean-Léon Gérôme La Danseuse au Cerceau - Gilt Bronze Statue of a Hoop Dancer

By Jean-Léon Gérôme

Located in New York, NY

Jean-Léon Gérôme French 1824 - 1904 La Joueuse De Cerceau - The Hoop Dancer A mini gilt bronze female figural statue of a young hoop dancer inspired by a trove of ancient terraco...

Category

19th Century Academic Max Kalish Art

Materials

Bronze

19th Century Bronze Sculpture "The Letter", 19th Century

$750

H 9 in W 7 in D 6 in

19th Century Bronze Sculpture "The Letter"

Located in Rochester, NY

Antique bronze sculpture of male nude reading a letter or proclamation. Marble base, 19th century. Unsigned.

Category

Early 19th Century Max Kalish Art

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Wim van der KantCrepis Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Marble Stone, 2002

$17,189

H 17.72 in W 7.88 in

Crepis Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Marble Stone

By Wim van der Kant

Located in Utrecht, NL

Crepis Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Marble Stone Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his busy profession as a teacher at...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Max Kalish Art

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Wim van der KantAestus Bronze Sculpture Marble Stone Nude Boy Contemporary, 2014

$17,657

H 20.87 in W 3.94 in

Aestus Bronze Sculpture Marble Stone Nude Boy Contemporary

By Wim van der Kant

Located in Utrecht, NL

Aestus Bronze Sculpture Marble Stone Nude Boy Contemporary Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his busy profession as a teacher ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Max Kalish Art

Materials

Marble, Bronze

William Zorach"Pioneer Family" WPA American Modernism Plaster Maquette Realism 20th Century, 1927

$39,000

H 24 in W 17 in D 11 in

"Pioneer Family" WPA American Modernism Plaster Maquette Realism 20th Century

By William Zorach

Located in New York, NY

"Pioneer Family," 23 1/2 x 16 1/4 x 10 3/4 inPlaster. c. 1927. Unsigned. Realism The Smithsonian has a cast of this sculpture in its collection. Pictured on the cover of “The Sculpt...

Category

1920s American Modern Max Kalish Art

Materials

Plaster

Ernst Moritz GeygerThe Archer Large Classical Male Nude Bronze Sculpture by Ernst Moritz Geyger, 1909

$22,800Sale Price|20% Off

H 42 in W 27.5 in D 10 in

The Archer Large Classical Male Nude Bronze Sculpture by Ernst Moritz Geyger

Located in Palm Beach, FL

The Archer (Der Bogenschütze) — Large Bronze, 42” tall male nude academic bronze sculpture by Ernst Moritz Geyger. Cast by Gladenbeck Foundry, Berlin This 42-inch bronze of The Arche...

Category

Early 20th Century Academic Max Kalish Art

Materials

Bronze

Constantino BarbellaArt Nouveau Italian Signed Dated and Inscribed Original Bronze, 1912

$11,290

H 13 in W 25.6 in D 13 in

Art Nouveau Italian Signed Dated and Inscribed Original Bronze

By Constantino Barbella

Located in Roma, IT

Wonderful Art Nouveau "Ebrezza" bronze sculpture of a woman lying on a bed of roses. It bears at the base the signature Barbella and the wording “Rome Palm Sunday 31 III 1912” Brand...

Category

Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Max Kalish Art

Materials

Bronze

Previously Available Items

Max Kalish20th Century Reclining Female Nude Marble Sculpture, Cleveland School Artist

Sold

H 9 in W 20.5 in

20th Century Reclining Female Nude Marble Sculpture, Cleveland School Artist

By Max Kalish

Located in Beachwood, OH

Max Kalish (American, 1891-1945) Reclining Nude Marble Signed on base 9 x 20.5 inches Born in Poland March 1, 1891, figurative sculptor Max Kalish came to the United States in 1894,...

Category

Mid-20th Century Max Kalish Art

Materials

Marble

Max Kalish"Steel Worker" Bronze Sculpture from the artist's Labor Series, 1926

Sold

H 18.25 in W 8 in D 10 in

"Steel Worker" Bronze Sculpture from the artist's Labor Series

By Max Kalish

Located in New York, NY

"Steel Worker" Bronze Sculpture from the artist's Labor Series LITERATURE: "Walt Whitman of Sculpture," New York Post, November 19, 1926 (another example illustrated); New York Hera...

Category

1920s American Modern Max Kalish Art

Materials

Bronze

Max Kalish art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Max Kalish art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Max Kalish in bronze, metal, marble and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Max Kalish art, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Dudley Vaill Talcott, Stanley Bleifeld, and Michael Ayrton. Max Kalish art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $10,450 and tops out at $36,000, while the average work can sell for $22,500.